Gang wars, drive-by shootings, carjackings, rampant homelessness.....
Did this all happen gradually or was there a perticular point in time when things just went downhill ?
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It really seems to represent any urban area these days.
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When I visited, I had a very pleasant time. Of course, I was doing the tourist thing--not living there, but I'd go back for a visit.
"Gettin' tired of your dumbass missin'!"
All cities have their crappy sections. Bigger cities usually have more crap.
shareYou have to remember that this movie was released in 1991... probably filmed in 1990, the script probably bounced around for a few years before that.
I'm sure there are still areas in LA where you wouldn't want to break down late at night. There is still a big gang problem, but I think it's mostly gang-against-gang violence, with occasional innocent bystanders getting hurt.
Mac was threatened, Davis was shot, Dee (Mary-Louise Parker) had her car window busted in an apparent purse-snatching, Simon's sister's house was shot up by gangbangers, Otis is involved in something that results in getting blood all over himself, and of course a baby was left abandoned in the woods. So almost everyone witnessed violence of some sort. This just doesn't happen.
Unless... it was violence that brought these characters together. Davis (Steve Martin) wasn't an important character, but would have been even less significant if he hadn't been shot. Dee would never have met that unmarried cop if she hadn't almost been carjacked. (Something might have happened there, but got left on the cutting-room floor.) Simon and Jane (Alfre Woodard) would never have met if Simon hadn't saved Mac after the Lakers game.
So, go to Los Angeles and enjoy yourself. Don't take crazy risks, but don't worry too much about the crime. It probably won't happen to you.
I have no idea how much has changed in LA.
But I do know that there are still sections of some cities that you do not want to visit.
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All of this has always been a part of Los Angeles, it's just been minimized and swept under the carpet by the public relations people for the LA commerce department.
shareremember this movie was filmed in 1991, before the L.A. riots of 1992. LA has completely changed with more businesses and apartment buildings for example, the scene where mary louise parker almost gets mugged and instead has her car window broken, I know where that are is and it looks drab in the movie, now it is a bohemian bustling area with apartments buildings, subway sandwiches, young people and even I have been there at night after a concert and nothing happened to me and my friends.
L.A. has changed considerably. The places where things are bad don't have tourist attractions and therefore the people that live in that neighborhood know better than to go out at 4 am in the night unless they want trouble. As for what happens to Kevin Kline's character after going to the forum to see a particular basketball game, the Staples center which is also becoming a million dollar beverly hills like place is the place where anything happens, the forum is a ghosttown.
so don't be discouraged not to go to L.A. because of this movie, If you want to see the cool bohemian parts of L.A. go to west hollywood, mid wilshire miracle mile,los feliz,santa monica,melrose ave, venice and hollywood. If you want to go to boring, old lady areas, beverly hills is the place.
correct
this was los angeles pre rodney king
cops were completely corrupt
the gangs were out of control because of corrupt cops doing deals with them
they were killing innocents to send messages
the city had abandoned hundreds of entire neighborhoods completely to the gangs
but then rodney king happened
and the riots happened
and a gang war happened
and oj happened
i think a lot of people got a lot of *beep* out of their system around that time collectively
its served as almost as a reset switch to the city leaders
something had to change
and little by little los angeles has cleaned up its act in a way
starting coming down harder on police brutality and specially corruption with the rampart case and squadcams
the cia also stopped dumping crack into the streets of south central to fuel their little exploits in central america and the middle east
luckily for los angeles the cia discovered afghanistan opium is a better worldwide cash crop deal than trading for cocaine to make into crack
GI:JOE Images - http://dailysportspages.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5523
No tourist attractions?
How about the Watts Towers in East LA?
Of has that area been cleaned up now?
I think it is just over time things got bad because no one cared to stand up and do anything about it, not even our "leaders". The thing is it got even worse the next Spring with the LA riots. This film was ahead of its time.
shareSurrounding states passed CCW shall issue laws back then putting violent crimals on notice.
shareYears ago in the eighties, when a kid died likely a gangbanger, they did autopsys and in MOST of the lungs, there were either precancerous lesions or cancer. Yet nobody talks about these studies, all that pollution rots the brain and since they ripped out the trolleys and built super highways, that's when it began, but I'm just guessing here, right?
shareIt all started in someone's head, then they decided to weave all aspects of violence into a script where an ensemble cast of characters would be affected by these violent outbreaks.
Also, The City of Los Angeles is nothing like it usually portrayed as in film and television, not back then and not even now. I see some previous commentary talking about the Rodney King riots but you know what? The areas MOST affected by them are NOTHING like that today. The entire area of Korea Town is not a huge hot spot for tourists who usually only visit Hollywood and Disneyland, but if you watch a movie or TV show about L.A. this Korea Town doesn't exist.
Interestingly enough, a lot of gang violence due to drug trafficking territory scuffles are taking place outside of LA County in places like Riverside Co., Bakersfield, San Bernardino, and other areas in Central/Northern California.
When I saw Grand Canyon back in '91 I laughed at the obvious generalizations Lawrence Kasdan was making about "his hometown" and I could tell immediately he was writing about his own narrow perception as a Hollywood elitist who lives in the economic comfort zone that affords him such narrow-mindedness.
When I saw Grand Canyon back in '91 I laughed at the obvious generalizations Lawrence Kasdan was making about "his hometown" and I could tell immediately he was writing about his own narrow perception as a Hollywood elitist who lives in the economic comfort zone that affords him such narrow-mindedness.
The things you referenced in your post do not define L.A.
It's a lot more than what was presented in "Grand Canyon" or other movies for that matter, like "Crash."